For the past five weeks, North Carolina citizens of all stripes have been protesting their state legislature, calling attention most specifically to a series of bills and agendas many critics contend attack the poor: the state’s rejection of expanded Medicare, cuts to unemployment insurance, a proposed state budget that guts public education in favor of tax cuts for the rich. Jumpstarted by Rev. Williams Barber, the president of the North Carolina NAACP, the “Moral Mondays” protests at the N.C. General Assembly in Raleigh began on April 29 with only 17 protestors. But the weekly acts of civil disobedience in the state assembly hall have grown to include over 1,000 as of this past Monday. Over 300 folks have been arrested so far, including a prominent (and awesome) North Carolina historian. (While intentionally attempting to keep their organization separate from Moral Mondays, North Carolina historians have recently organized an activist group called Scholars for a Progressive North Carolina, of whom I hope to be reporting on from time to time over the coming year.)
Anyway, I’m not seeing much news about this outside of North Carolina. Besides a short write-up in The Nation, North Carolina’s ills and public responses are falling on deaf ears. In fact, I’m not even finding out much information as I reside here in western N.C. For his part, the recently-elected Governor Pat McCrory doesn’t seem to get it:
“I prefer peaceful demonstrations in which you do not block access to getting the people’s work done,” McCrory said.
Not sure what McCrory thinks civil disobedience is, but it must be fine as long as it doesn’t remotely affect him.
The subject of this short, 7-minute video interview is Rev. Vernon Tyson, an 83-year-old retired minister who was arrested because he was watching the singing and protesting from afar. He wasn’t participating, only sitting on a bench, when police asked him to move. After he did move, and stood leaning against a wall, he was arrested anyway. He tells the story well—it’s worth your seven minutes. If any readers find more info about the topic, please post some links to the comments section. I intend to follow up, hopefully with some informed opinions, or perhaps even analysis, as the situation continues. Out here in Asheville (relatively far from the action), I’d only heard about the “small government” legislatures trying to claim ownership over my city water. But I didn’t know about the wider trends and social protests until hearing about them on a trip back to Wisconsin. Guess it’s time to see what’s brewing….
